You Know, Your Friend's a Liar
by malignantmandrake
Summary: You don't have to know you're a player to be part of the game. By the time Kuroko realizes he's a part of one, he's already been dealt a full hand. [Commission for Kiiyoshi@Tumblr]
1. Dealt

Kuroko hadn't necessarily been trying to eavesdrop; it just sort of happened. He'd been taking a few minutes to sit and collect himself. Losing, though not as unfamiliar to him as it was to the rest of Teiko's old team, was still something he hadn't totally accustomed himself to. He just wanted a moment to sit and rest to collect himself, that was all... if he'd managed to will himself to wait until he got home to do so, things would have been so much less complicated.

At the time, the phantom member was repeating to himself that they'd win next time, that this was just a scrimmage and that the loss, albeit painful to swallow, was only going to help them improve. That single thought filled his head.

That was, until the sound of crashing metal echoed loud into his ears; it was the sound that caught his attention, but it wasn't what held it. A yell was what did that. It wasn't Kagami's guttural, frustrated yell, nor was it Hyuuga's uptight chastising. It wasn't just frustrated, it was harsh and angry and feral. It was foreign, and it took Kuroko a good few seconds to even recognize the voice, it didn't sound the same when it came in a yell. It came from Kiyoshi; had the slammed closing of a locker door that followed the yell come from him also? Just hearing it with his vision of the other boys obstructed, Kuroko couldn't seem to imagine it.

A reprimand came in response. "Kiyoshi!"

Hyuuga, that time- the passionate response coming from him sounded much more characteristic. A brief silence came after his yell.

"I know, Hyuuga!" The words came through clenched teeth, Kuroko could tell that even from the aisle of lockers he was sitting hidden behind. They were strained and shaky, and they were fittingly punctuated with another slam.

Again, momentary silence.

"I'm- I'm alright."

"You have a crappy definition of alright," Hyuuga snapped. "It was just a scrimage, calm down." The captain had his fists clenched, though his knuckles weren't near as white as Kiyoshi's.

"Nobody else went around punching lockers."

Kiyoshi scrambled for words, having a hard time organizing them in the red fog that clouded his mind. He only managed stutters before Hyuuga spoke again

"I don't want excuses. You were late for the game, and you've been shaking since the start of the fourth quarter. I told you to tell me if you couldn't handle it, should we have taken you off the roster today?"

Kiyoshi's anger wasn't the only emotion in his voice. A pleading tone slipped in, his furrowed brows now loosening ever-so-slightly. He ran his hands back through his sweat-dampened hair before he spoke again.

"Hyuuga, I'm sorry. I managed it, alright? I was okay while we were playing, I just needed to-"

The taller male wasn't allowed to finish. "I told you we're not giving you special treatment," Hyuuga said. "You're putting other people in danger doing this! This is the second time you couldn't get it this close to a full moon, and you're not doing any better at staying under control than last time."

Get 'it'? What did Kiyoshi need, and what did the moon have to do with anything? Kuroko settled himself to listen to the rest of the conversation, his curiosity outweighing his guilt.

A sigh broke Hyuuga's stern tone, his body relaxing and a hand raising to mull through his damp hair. "Do we need to bench you when it's this close or something?"

"I'm doing-!" His voice betrayed him, the words coming out harsh and rough in response to the proposed idea. He recoiled, swallowed the rest of the sentence, and tried again.

"I'm alright, Hyuuga. I should have made sure to get the ingredients in advance, but there's still a few days. I wouldn't risk everyone's safety just to play, and if I didn't know for sure I was okay, I wouldn't be here."

"Show me that, don't just tell me."

"Hey!" A new voice, female this time. Riko, who Kuroko thought had left some time ago. Her voice cut straight through the tension in the room, drawing the attention of both Hyuuga and Kiyoshi.

"Hyuuga, go a little easier on him. You, though," Riko started, shifting her gaze from Hyuuga over to Kiyoshi. "We did talk about this. Keep yourself under control or I'm sitting you out next month, got it? Hyuuga's right- if you can't get the ingredients, even if you think you're okay, we can't know that for sure."

Kiyoshi clenched his teeth, grinding them before attempting to relax his tensed entirety and nod. "Yeah... sorry, I'll be more careful," he apologized, averting his eyes from both of the other players.

Riko's warning didn't have any visible effect on Hyuuga, he remained concentrated on Kiyoshi."I'll be over to talk to you in the next couple days."

"...I don't think that'd be a good idea. I'm gonna get worse, let me just ride out the last few days alone if you honestly think I'm not okay," Kiyoshi suggested, "I can handle it, and I'd rather not put you guys in danger again."

"Kiyoshi, this isn't something-"

Before the argument could escalate, Riko stepped in. "Look, we've been here long enough, and fighting about this any more isn't going to help! We lost today, and we're all a little tense. I don't want you two to make it any worse. Kiyoshi, go home and rest, and Hyuuga, you're coming with me."

Footsteps followed Riko's orders, her shoes clacking against the cement floor. Hyuuga's footsteps joined them soon enough, Riko wrapping a vice grip around his wrist and yanking on him. Hyuuga yelped and scrambled for his bags, grabbing hem just in time to be pulled from the locker room.

Kiyoshi took a seat when he was left on his own and mussed his own hair. He attempted to soothe himself, massaging his head and running his long fingers back through now unruly brown hair. His breaths were deep, though Kuroko was unsure if his spiked emotions were the cause or if the heaving inhales was an attempt at calming himself as well.

After the yell that resonated through the locker room that Kiyoshi released, Kuroko found himself tempted to assume the former.

The yell of frustration, though uncharacteristic of Kiyoshi anyway, was unsettling for a different reason. It didn't sound like Kiyoshi. Rather, it didn't sound like a sound he should have been able to make; it was far too carnal a noise for a human's throat, and it made Kuroko's heartbeat quicken. It didn't sound right at all, and honestly, it frightened the underclassman a bit. Any thoughts he'd been contemplating of making his presence known, the yell wiped clean away.

There were no other noteworthy noises or shifts before Kuroko heard the footsteps of the elder brunette heading towards the door. There was a long pause, and then finally the opening and shutting of the door.

As if their first loss since Touou, and Kiyoshi's first loss since Kirisaki Dai Ichi, wasn't hard enough to swallow, Kuroko now had that situation weighing on his mind atop that. Kiyoshi was frustrated and almost illogically angry, and he had been obviously struggling to contain himself. Not to mention, the unexplained reference to the moon, as well as the secretive nature of the 'meeting' in the first place. It made Kuroko's stomach uneasy, and he coudn't seem to let go of it all the way through the train ride home. Even as the night progressed, through a dinner made solemn by the news of his team's loss and in the midst of his homework, the situation troubled Kuroko. He considered texting Kagami for advice, or even asking Kiyoshi directly what was going on, but neither seemed like brilliant ideas. Spreading rumors wasn't something Kuroko enjoyed, and with Kiyoshi's current mental state... he didn't want to make things any worse. He kept the events to himself, instead just laying in bed with the sound of Kiyoshi's growl echoing in his mind hours later.

Was he worrying over nothing? Even if he was, he couldn't just put the thoughts of everything aside. The occurrence kept sleep from coming easy that night.


	2. Bets

By the next morning, though Kuroko's worries hadn't evaporated completely, it was a new day. The loss, though mildly unpleasant, was behind them. All he could do was remind himself it wasn't a tournament match, that they'd redeem themselves the next time they played. And when it came to Kiyoshi... well, he was still worried. It was none of his business though, all he could do was keep an eye on the situation from a distance.  
Kuroko spent his time on the way to school trying to think of their game rather than worry himself sick over something he wasn't a part of. How successful he was in keeping his mind away from the subject was debatable.  
The game was his best chance at occupying himself. They had an off day, and Kuroko understood that. Riko seemed to be just as okay as he was by the text he received on his way to school, notifying him of a club meeting at lunch. Presumably, it was to go over the previous day's game. A prompt 'I'll be there' was given in reply. Even if it wasn't intended as such, Kuroko appreciated Riko's help in taking his mind away from the conversation he'd overheard.  
The day dragged; it wasn't so much fatigue, though that was a contributing factor. After the exertion of trying to force a win out of a losing game, as well as having his bedtime pushed back by wandering worries over Kiyoshi, Kuroko was definitely feeling sluggish. There was no buzz of a close win for him to think back on, nor any celebratory team dinner to raise the corners of his lips. It was the day after a loss, and it felt like exactly that.  
Kuroko tried to focus on his classwork, and though it didn't speed the day up at all, it did help him shake off the feeling the game and the events immediately thereafter had stained his mind with.  
Even with the dragging length of the day, Kuroko couldn't have prepared for what was to come- his worries, the same ones he'd blown off as something out of his control, escalated the moment he walked into the basketball club's meeting.  
Everything was pretty standard at first glance; Riko was standing up front, laser pointer ready and the glow of the projector already visible. Mitobe and Koganei were psuedo-flirting off at a desk near the window, Kagami was working on scarfing down the lunch he'd brought that could have fed at least Kuroko and another teammate with ease, so on and so forth. There were two irregularities though, and Kuroko noticed the more obvious of the two first.  
No Kiyoshi.  
Kuroko's pace into the room slowed as he realized the brunette wasn't there. A pang of worry echoed in his chest, and the sound of Kiyoshi's fist nearly denting a locker replayed in his head. He gave a second glance around to make sure he hadn't missed the other boy, and found, as before, he definitely wasn't there.  
The shifting of Hyuuga's glasses was what brought Kuroko's attention to the second irregularity, Hyuuga's eyes. Or rather, his left eye and the color that surrounded it, the bruised, eggplant tone. It looked so swollen that Kuroko would've been surprised if he could actually see out of it enough for his glasses to make a difference. The pang of worry transformed into an avalanche crashing down on his chest.  
There was no way Kiyoshi had done that; the male had been upset yesterday, but they hadn't fought in the locker room! Riko had kept the argument from getting heated, and he was sure he hadn't heard any ruckus coming from outside.  
"Alright, everybody! I know none of us are happy about the way yesterday went," Riko started, catching most of the room's attention. "We weren't on our A-game, but it happens! It was only a scrimmage, but a game's a game, and a loss is a loss. I thought it wouldn't hurt to look at what went wrong, and we can make sure it doesn't happen again!" The loss hadn't had any effect on her pep, it seemed.  
Kuroko stared at Hyuuga for a moment, analyzing the state of his eye and trying to think back on anything that could have set Kiyoshi off to do such a thing. He had no proof it was the brunette at the moment, and he really shouldn't assume something of the sort with so little to go off of... he knew that. Still, it was hard when the most happy-go-lucky person one know started acting almost hyper-aggressive, then their best friend showed up sporting a black eye the next day. He'd have to wait the meeting out before he could find anything more out.  
Kuroko tried to shift his focus onto what Riko was talking about and the matter at hand, the basketball club meeting.  
"I've already watched the tapes, I had a friend record the game for us. It's not a professional tape, but I figure it'll be good enough. I want to go over everything with the game still fresh in our heads! Furihata, get the lights."  
That was about the furthest Kuroko got, at least in hearing Riko's words specifically. He caught concepts, even managed a nod on pure reaction when Riko mentioned something about his misdirection having run out at a certain point, but the individual words became blurry as his mind dove into murky waters and began to swim away. Basketball was important, becoming as good as he could be, but still, he couldn't help but feel like the other issue withholding a significant portion of his ability to concentrate was more pressing. Kiyoshi's situation worried him far more than anything to do with basketball could have.  
Kuroko wasn't terribly adept at texting in class; he rarely did so, as he never had the need. He didn't want to get yelled at by Riko, who was now getting intense about strategies and individual areas that needed improvement, so he tried to be discreet. It was awkward, though. His hands delved into the backpack he had resting on his lap, hiding the glow of his phone. Kiyoshi hadn't texted him before, but the two had exchanged numbers. The blank message screen that held conversations showed nothing as Kuroko put in his senior's name, at least until Kuroko sent his message through.  
'Riko called a meeting today, I thought I'd tell you in case she didn't let you know. Hope you're feeling okay.'  
Random coming from Kuroko, maybe a little awkward as well, but it was better than nothing.  
"Hey."  
The voice was sudden in his ear, and it startled Kuroko into sitting straight up. Shit, Riko had caught him. Kuroko winced as he felt a sharp tug on his ear, immediately belting out an apology.  
The brunette gave him a chastising few words and told him to pay attention; as a final note, she added a question that gave Kuroko an opening. "What were you doing that was so important, anyway?"  
"I was texting Kiyoshi to make sure he feels alright, that was all."  
The blue haired boy watched for a reaction from Riko as well as Hyuuga, and though it was only slight from the former, Hyuuga made it clear, even if inadvertently, that something was up (not that Kuroko needed any further affirmation that something was going on, he just wanted to find out what.)  
"He'll be fine," the captain snapped, " Don't waste your time worrying, focus on what's going on."  
The words held a bitter tone, and Hyuuga looked as if they tasted as such with the way his lips had puckered. His body had stiffened too, as had their manager's.  
Kuroko felt a heaviness weigh in his heart at that. He hadn't wanted to think that Kiyoshi had done such a thing, actually physically marring his friend, but it was difficult not to at that point.  
With a bow of his head, Kuroko concluded the discussion with another apology. He set his bag on the ground and went back to paying his attention, at least the fraction of it could muster, to Riko and the game.  
It was about twenty minutes before Riko concluded, leaving a few minutes left in the lunch period for the team to talk or leave as they pleased. Everybody stayed, filling the room with a light chatter. Kuroko remained silent though, at least up until the squeaking noise from his chair scraping against the floor drew a few glances. The sound seemed to disrupt the room, drawing more attention than the boy would have liked.  
Hyuuga was playing with the food he'd brought, but he hadn't seemed to eat much. At the moment, he was skinning a grape with the edge of his fingernail. Upon Kuroko's arrival at his desk, he seemed to realize what he'd been doing and popped the fruit into his mouth.  
"Hey, yeah?" The earlier bitterness had dissolved from his voice, leaving only the usual callousness in the way he spoke.  
"I don't mean to be worried about you and Kiyoshi, but-"  
"Then don't be."  
"But I was just wondering what happened to your face."  
Hyuuga almost choked on his grape at the forward question, though he should have expected Kuroko not to pillow his words.  
"I tripped getting out of the train yesterday, that was all." The explanation was given with a short attitude and a blank stare.  
"You got a black eye from tripping?"  
Hyuuga bit his tongue, thinking for a moment before he spoke; probably a good decision, considering, unlike Kiyoshi, he did have a tendency to snap.  
"Yeah," he asserted, "I did. It's no big deal, just a black eye. Nothing to worry about, why?"  
"No- it doesn't. I was just curious." Kuroko debated stopping there, keeping his mouth shut before he tested the other's self-control further. That would've been the smart move, right? And with his level-headed demeanor, surely he would know better than to push any buttons in a situation that already had Hyuua's fists clenched.  
He almost didn't manage it. He almost opened his mouth again to let more questions flow out. He wanted to ask for Kiyoshi's address, to ask more knowingly what was wrong, but he didn't. As hard as it was, Kuroko retained his silence for the next few moments until the bell rang, interrupting the increasingly tense situation that had drawn the attention of a few of the club members. Kuroko's stomach growled in response, and he frowned as he moved to the desk he'd been sitting in and lifted his bag. Worry for Kiyoshi had taken such a high place in his mind, his lunch had gone forgotten. The now multiple attempts he'd made at keeping his mind off the subject weren't really going well, and maybe that was a sign.  
Riko, contrary to the other stares that followed Kuroko back to his desk, glanced over at Hyuuga. He met her gaze, scoffed, and looked away.  
Once Kuroko had made it to the door of the room, he paused, turned, and gave a small bow to the captain and coach along with an apology for his disruptive behavior  
With that, he was gone.  
Riko's stare at Hyuuga was unfaltering, and she came closer to him once the majority of the club was out of the room. Her voice dropped down to a low, breathy whisper.  
"What was that about?"  
Hyuuga raised an eyebrow as he stood, slinging his backpack over his shoulder. "You didn't hear what he was saying?" the male asked, having figured the other had been talking loud enough for Riko to hear.  
"No, I heard," the girl corrected, shaking her head and clasping her fingers together. "I just- I don't know. Something seemed off with him today... he seemed more worried about you and Kiyoshi than he should have. You don't think he found something out, do you?"  
Hyuuga was silent, and rolled his shoulders back. "There's no way he could have, so no, I don't think so," he murmured, sounding more as if he were trying to convince himself of that than he was Riko. "I told him me and Kiyoshi 'll be fine, and hopefully he leaves it at that. All we can do is keep an eye on him until Kiyoshi gets back."  
Riko's weight shifted from foot to foot. "I guess so... you do think Kiyoshi 'll be fine, right?"  
Hyuuga's fur was bristled, to say the least. He didn't want to talk about this anymore, Kuroko had irritated him enough instigating the discussion. "He will," Hyuuga assured, "He's been checking around for what he needs still, but it's not like the ingredients are common. Nowhere either of us could find had that stupid plant. Once he can get everything straightened out and stocked up, he'll be back, and he'll be the same old, annoying, dumb guy he always is. Now let's get going before we're late for class. "  
Riko, her own bag already resting over his shoulders, folded her arms and nodded. "Yeah, he will," she agreed, "Let's go!"  
The two cleared the room and flipped off the lights, not mentioning another word on the subject for the rest of the day.  
Kuroko didn't bring it up either, at least not other than to briefly explain himself to Kagami when the redhead questioned his gutsiness after school. He chalked his own odd behavior up to not feeling well that, maybe having caught whatever Kiyoshi had. Beyond that, he was just worried out of simple care for his friends, nothing more, and that's what he told Kagami.  
The redhead, albeit suspiciously, accepted the explanation and said nothing more on the subject.  
Kuroko was left alone to brood that night once more. The mood in his home was a little lighter than the night before, but Kuroko couldn't help but feel as if things had only gotten heavier.  
The worry over Kiyoshi lingered, and added to it was a worry over Hyuuga. The two had gotten physical, Kuroko was fairly sure of it. That, in turn, gave way to the idea that Kiyoshi's anger hadn't just been a byproduct of their loss, not if it had lingered into the night and invaded his later confrontation with Hyuuga.  
Kuroko didn't eat much at dinner- his belly was too swollen with discomfort to pack much down.  
For probably the tenth time that night, Kuroko's phone flipped open, illuminating the otherwise night darkened room. Still no new message.  
'Hey... I don't mean to bother you, but are you okay? Hyuuga mentioned you weren't feeling well.'  
A minute went by with Kuroko staring blankly at the phone. Eventually, he released a sigh of defeat, one that was followed by the sound of the phone closing and thudding against his nightstand.  
He didn't even know what all he was getting worried about. Now that he thought about it, Hyuuga could have been telling the truth. Maybe he really was getting worried over nothing? As possible as it was, he couldn't get himself to believe it. Call it intuition, call it irrational, but either way, it was what he felt.  
In the midst of attempting to remind himself he had no hard facts, his phone interrupted him. The boy nearly jumped out of his sheets, the sudden 'ding' being more than unexpected. He reached out and grabbed the device from his nightstand, flipped it open, and found himself happier than he probably should have felt to see 'Kiyoshi' as the sender.  
'I'm okay, thanks for the thought :) I'll be back in a few days!'  
Well, he wasn't dead or in a condition that didn't allow him to return a text. That was a good sign, Kuroko supposed. If Kiyoshi was going to respond now, Kuroko was going to try to get him to say what he could.  
'That's good to hear. Do you need somebody to bring your schoolwork to you?'  
A minute passed before he got a response.  
'Nah, Hyuuga brought it for me this morning in his free period. Thanks though!'  
The odd personality shift wasn't showing through in his texts, so Kuroko began to respond before suddenly pausing.  
This morning? Hyuuga had visited him this morning? If Kuroko was right in his assumption, that meant the black eye wasn't from yesterday, nor was it from any careless fall. It was from that very morning.  
Kuroko didn't know how to feel about the situation. Sure, he disagreed with some of his past teammates before, and both Hyuuga and Kagami had little spats with other members of their team. They never got physical though, the closest either had ever come to physical contact driven by anger was a bump to the shoulder or light smack to the back of the head, never anything that even skated near decking one another in the eye. It wasn't even one of the more temperamental members of their team, either. It was the gold-hearted member who was usually all smiles, the one who provided support and words of encouragement at every chance!  
'Would you mind if I stopped by?'  
A few minutes came and went before the blue haired boy received a response to that one; he almost began to expect he wouldn't be receiving one at all.  
'I'll see you at school in a few days, kay? I've gotta get some sleep, you should too!'  
Kuroko's fingers tightened around his phone, his eyes skimming the line a few times before he finally began to type a response.  
'Alright, goodnight.'  
No response came after that... the conversation settled it.  
He was definitely going to see Kiyoshi.


	3. Show Your Cards

Kuroko didn't bother checking his phone until he'd left his house that next morning. Kiyoshi had made sure their conversation remained short, there was no reason he would have texted him after being so brief. The brunette's messages, the few he'd sent, seemed to make him sound alright enough, but it was likely a little easier to keep a calm facade through a screen than it was in person. Kuroko wasn't taking it as any positive sign just yet.  
No messages came on his trek to school either (not that he expected any to.) He wasn't sure if he appreciated being left to his own thoughts right now or not, as there was no way to tell for absolutely certain that his suspicions were correct, not yet. He was worrying about Kiyoshi and Hyuuga, but he was also worrying that he was worrying for nothing. Kuroko didn't want to think that Hyuuga and Kiyoshi, and Riko as well, were hiding something from the rest of their team, he didn't. Wasn't assuming that they weren't when they'd raised suspicions a bit too passive though? Sure, it may have been none of his business, but they seemed to be losing control over whatever it was they were keeping secret.  
Then again, what if he got involved and made things worse?  
Kuroko drew a deep breath in and sighed it out, attempting to push the thoughts that wracked his mind out with it. He needed to just not think for a little while, he was just chasing himself around in logical circles at that point.  
The day proved that to be easier than he'd expected it to be. While he had class with Kagami and some of the other members of their team, he didn't see much of anyone out in the hallways of class. On top of that, there wasn't a single mention of basketball or the occurrences of the meeting the day before! He supposed after having salt rubbed into their wounds with reviewing the loss, everybody just wanted a break. Kuroko would have been happy to be worrying solely about that, though.  
Kagami provided a welcome distraction for Kuroko from himself during lunch. He laid what was nearly a three course meal out onto the table, all home-cooked in hopes of cheering him up a bit. Though he mentioned something about Kuroko having seemed out of it the day before, Kagami's prodding was minimal and he otherwise left the subject alone. Kuroko was allowed to enjoy the the meal with just enough chatter to keep him occupied, which he greatly appreciated.  
Lunch passed and left a good taste in both Kuroko's mouth and mind.  
His shoulders had fallen from the tense position he hadn't realized they'd been pulled up into, and he no longer found his perception as muddied as it had been before. His thoughts were crystalline, and he left them untainted by his worries until the end of the school day. He kept an eye out for Hyuuga unaware that Hyuuga was doing the same for him, but beyond that, he kept his distance from the situation and those raveled in the web of it to let his subconscious mull it over.  
It wasn't until the end of the school day that Kuroko began to allow himself to return to the situation he'd been pondering about. With a clear mind and his moral compass pointing true north, he made a decision to get involved in whatever was going on, even if it was only through a simple checkup on Kiyoshi. He justified it with the self-assurance that it wasn't just curiosity spurred by a few odd happenings. Something was wrong and he was worried about his friends' well-being, and he wasn't going to just let something like that go.  
Going about getting the other's address... that was the challenge he faced after deciding to confront Kiyoshi. Though Riko was his best bet of the three involved, she didn't seem likely to give up the address easily. Hyuuga had made it clear that he didn't want Kuroko involved, and Kiyoshi was the one who'd disappeared in a puff of rage in the first place. He'd have to look elsewhere.  
Kagami would be too inquisitive, and Kuroko didn't think he'd been to Kiyoshi's place anyway. As different as he and Kagami could be at times, Kagami's worry over friends was just as strong as his own. With the real possibility that the trio withholding whatever secret they were could get very irate over being prodded, Kuroko didn't want to drag anyone down with him.  
That left Izuki, Mitobe, and Koganei that were most likely to know Kiyoshi's home address. Koganei seemed like the least likely to mention the text, so Koganei it was.  
He typed up a short text telling the other boy it was him and what he was looking for, hit send, and waited for a reply.  
He didn't have to wait long for a response.  
'hey kuroko! :3 whacha need his address for?'  
'I'd just like to stop by to say hi and let him know I hope he feels better soon.'  
Kuroko felt a bit sleazy going behind Riko, Hyuuga, and Kiyoshi's backs. He had to remind himself, it wasn't as if he just wanted to dig his nose into a situation he didn't belong in, he was doing this out of care for Kiyoshi's well being! A surprising amount of care too it seemed, if he was willing to worry himself so much over mere possibilities.  
'gotcha, let him know me and mitobe say that too! he's at 1-3-12, sotokanda, chiyoda-ku, his room's 702 :)'  
'Thank you'  
Koganei not bringing up the confrontation between himself and Hyuuga yesterday was appreciated. The blue haired boy wished he could have thanked him for leaving it alone without bringing the subject up, even if it was likely only out of air-headedness.  
The train ride to the station nearest Kiyoshi's house was longer than Kuroko had expected. By the time he was halfway there, he couldn't help but wonder why Kiyoshi would have chosen to go to Seirin. He wasn't sure what school was closest, but it should have been a much easier travel than to Seirin, shouldn't it?  
The sight of Hanamiya and a boy he didn't know the name of, but remembered playing during the match with Kirisaki Dai Ichi, answered his question. They both had backpacks slung over their shoulders and schoolback in hand, so Kuroko figured it was safe to assume their school was nearby. Suddenly, Kiyoshi's willingness to trek to Seirin made more sense.  
Kuroko paid the other boys no attention, and though they gave a couple glances that had him feeling an need to bathe, they caused no trouble. The two left their side of the train and Kuroko left his, and that was that.  
Upon his exit, the blue haired boy gave a look both ways, confirming he had no idea where the hell he was. The area wasn't one he was familiar with, he couldn't even remember having been there before. He'd need to be careful not to get lost. Using a map posted nearby, Kuroko found the route to the Kiyoshi's house and attempted to commit it to memory, writing a few notes in his phone just in case.  
After he was sure he had it, Kuroko set off.  
It couldn't have been more than a five or ten minute walk to Kiyoshi's. Truth be told though, he almost wished it was longer. There were no words in mind he had planned to say, all he had as an excuse for coming all this way was 'I wanted to see if you were feeling okay.'  
That, and 'I think you punched Hyuuga in the face,' and there was really no sly way of bringing that second one up, or at least none he could come up with.  
Upon his decision to say what felt right once he arrived, Kuroko began to notice more of his surroundings. The park he'd just passed was the second he'd seen, he believed; both had been mostly vacant besides a few old people feeding the birds. There weren't many people occupying them, even with the schools just having let out. It was a decently warm day, and the grass was vivid green beneath the sunlight... the only other people drawn by that seemed to be parents with their young children, though. It seemed like a quiet town, much more befitting of Kiyoshi than of Hanamiya. He eyed the stores he passed as well, but saw nothing particularly interesting before he found himself at Kiyoshi's apartment door.  
Kuroko greeted the sight with a pounding heart and a pair of lungs that he couldn't seem to feel. He was just nervous about Kiyoshi, about how his teammate- his friend- was doing. It may not have shown through his steady eyes, but there was certainly some anxiousness present.  
Kiyoshi's door was the steel against Kuroko's flint hand. The sparks of sound were nearly enough to make Kuroko second guess whether this had all been a good idea- not that there was any turning back at that point. He stood and waited, listening out for any sounds coming from inside the apartment.  
Kiyoshi, from the other side of the door, found himself looking straight up. He hadn't been expecting guests. He gave a long stare to the door from where he sat on his couch, debating leaving it alone. Repeats of a drama that looked to be older than him gave just enough noise off for him to realize he couldn't pass for being out or asleep.  
Though his ascent to his feet was slow and cautious, Kiyoshi figured that, whoever it was, they were knocking. A good sign, they weren't just trying to barge in. Still, he wasn't sure who or what to expect. He'd been mostly quiet since the day previous with Hyuuga, so he didn't think it was another noise complaint. In the few moments he allowed his mind to ponder the question of who it could have been, he came up blank.  
"...hello?" he called out, managing to sound much less suspicious than he felt, holed away like he was.  
"It's Kuroko."  
Kiyoshi's brows pulled together. He stared at the door for a moment, attempting to will the other away with silence and a pleading stare.  
A few moments of silence passed before Kuroko spoke again. "Hello?"  
Well, there'd been no harm in trying. Kiyoshi ran a hand through his hair, ruffling it and then spending his time walking to the door finger-combing it back into place. "Sorry, just a sec!"  
After giving a single glance back to look over his living room, he pulled the door open and gave the other boy a smile. "Hey Kuroko! Sorry, I wasn't expecting company," he explained, rubbing the back of his neck.  
"It's alright, I should have warned you," Kuroko began. "I just wanted to come by and see how you were doing."  
Kiyoshi looked... well, not sick, but certainly not well. Ragged was a good word for it. The finger-combing he'd just attempted to make himself look a little more orderly was obvious, and his shirt had enough wrinkles to make their basketball team's advisor look like a player by comparison. There was a distinctly odd smell that wafted through the doorway as well, and though Kuroko thought it may have been a lack of bathing on the other's part, that wasn't it. He didn't bother trying to place it, and moved on from assessing the other's physical state.  
"Is it alright if I come in?"  
Kiyoshi gave another rub to the back of his neck and forced a smile, though it gave a different meaning than intended with how laced by anxiety it was.  
Despite that, the brunette still stepped back. "Yeah, if you wanna come in for a minute, that's no problem!"  
"I won't be long," Kuroko said, slipping his shoes off at the door and setting them in an orderly juxtaposition next to Kiyoshi's thoughtlessly discarded shoes. The rest of the room matched the footwear, Kuroko saw when he turned. It wasn't awful, nothing he would have described as disgusting, but... again, ragged worked. The place was unkempt and sparsely decorated, not how Kuroko would have imagined Kiyoshi's household to be.  
Another thing he noticed was the lack of space, with no hallways in sight. Was it just a studio apartment?  
Kiyoshi picked up on the staring, watching the other with a worried stare; it should have been the opposite, shouldn't it?  
"I live on my own," Kiyoshi explained, "I know I'm a little young for it, but it just works out better for me!"  
Kuroko averted his eyes from the rest of the house and back to Kiyoshi, a bit embarrassed at having been caught staring. As if he didn't already seem nosy enough...  
"Have you been alright, Kiyoshi?"  
As out of sorts as he looked, his skin didn't look sallow. There were bags beneath his eyes, but only barely. All in all, he didn't appear sick.  
"I've been okay!" Kiyoshi promised, waving a dismissive hand, "Don't worry about me, it's just a little stomach bug... it's off and on, I'll be fine."  
"Have you had it checked out?"  
"I- yeah, I have," Kiyoshi assured, "I'll be fine." He tried to laugh. "You're worrying more than it's worth, I promise!"  
There was a little too much hesitation before Kiyoshi's answer for Kuroko to be convinced.  
"What's got you so concerned, anyway? You're usually not so... er, interested." Kiyoshi bit back a few less kind ways of putting Kuroko's adamant concern.  
Up came the point Kuroko was nervous about admitting. He'd expected to have a little more small talk to prepare himself, but, well, this worked too. He'd come fully prepared to admit that he'd eavesdropped on Kiyoshi's conversation in the locker room, but that didn't stop him from shoving his hands sheepishly in his pockets. Kuroko swallowed, then began to explain.  
"The other day- after we lost- you seemed upset."  
"Eh? Well, I was a little bummed, yeah! We lost. We'll do better next time though... why'd that worry you so much?"  
It was Kuroko's turn to hesitate before he spoke. "Well, that wasn't all. I was still resting in the locker room when you and Hyuuga were talking," he started, watching the other's expression drop as he went on. "And I overheard your conversation."  
Kiyoshi forced a hard swallow down. "Oh! Sheesh... that's embarrassing," Kiyoshi responded, laughing through grit teeth. "I was just upset we lost was all! Sorry, I guess I get a little too relaxed when I'm just around Hyuuga... or when I think I'm just around Hyuuga, anyway."  
Kuroko thought he heard a passive-agressive note in Kiyoshi's last few words, but he wasn't sure whether it was his imagination or not.  
"Are you sure that's all?"  
"Yep!" Kiyoshi's assurance was gentle, but firm. He began to back away from Kuroko at that point, his constitution not dealing particularly well with the lies he was vomiting. He turned away from the younger boy and moved across the studio apartment to the kitchen area, beginning to rummage absent-mindedly around in the fridge.  
Kuroko stood where he was for a moment, then followed.  
It wasn't as if Kiyoshi hadn't expected him to, but still, he'd hoped Kuroko wouldn't.  
"Kiyoshi, where did Hyuuga's black eye come from?"  
The words were a knife that slit Kiyoshi's heart right open. There was no way he could lie about physically harming his friend to Kuroko's face. He stuffed his face further into the cold, as if there were more than just ten or twelve things decorating the inside of the otherwise barren fridge.  
"He had a black eye? I didn't know! Did you ask him about it?"  
That wasn't Seirin's Kiyoshi talking; Seirin's Kiyoshi would have looked him in the eye, wrinkled up his oversized eyebrows and given a look of deep concern. Seirin's Kiyoshi would have asked if Hyuuga was okay and what had happened on pure instinct.  
"He told me he'd tripped after getting off the train on his way home from the game. He saw you the next morning, didn't he?"  
By this point, Kuroko's unfaltering stare felt like a vice grip around Kiyoshi's lungs. His normal facade, already thin to start, was wearing down to nothing as he gave a shaky reply. "Oh, aha, he- I was sleeping when he came, I guess I was too out of it to notice!" Kiyoshi gave only a short glance out of the fridge to Kuroko before turning away again to start rummaging through another surprisingly empty cabinet.  
"Is that all?"  
"Kuroko!" The yell was sudden, and it took all Kuroko had not to jump upon hearing it. The cupboard Kiyoshi's hand was squeezing groaned beneath his grip, squeaking to the point of sounding as if it were about to splinter into pieces. Kuroko's glance at the wood alerted him of the claw marks the were dug into it as well. That was enough to shake even his strong composure and widen his eyes.  
Kuroko had held in his wince at Kiyoshi's yell; Kiyoshi hadn't. His whole body remained tensed and he forced himself into silence, eyes clamped tight before he allowed them to open and let the world filter back in. "...sorry Kuroko, I didn't mean to yell," Kiyoshi apologized, "I'm really sorry about that. But I can't tell you what happened to Hyuuga's eye, you'll have to trust him. And I don't wanna kick you out, but I'm really not feeling very good, and I don't want anything to happen to you, alright? I'm already embarrassed that you saw me like this, to tell you the truth."  
Kuroko assumed the 'anything' Kiyoshi didn't want to happen didn't involve his catching a stomach bug.  
Though Kuroko certainly wasn't made comfortable by the yell, he wasn't as frightened by Kiyoshi lashing out as he'd expected to be. He understood why Kiyoshi felt embarrassed, but Kuroko likely didn't feel how Kiyoshi expected he did. Pity made it sound bad, but it was the most akin to what he felt. Whatever it was that was going on with his friend, Kuroko imagined it had to be something of fair significance to put him in this state.  
A few moments of staring ensued. Kiyoshi had to keep from getting frustrated with himself and yelling again. When Kuroko saw the other's large hands balling into similarly large fists at his side, the blue haired boy spoke in an attempt to interrupt the other's thoughts.  
"I'm sorry for causing trouble," he apologized, "I hope you feel better soon, Kiyoshi. If there's anything I can do to help, let me know."  
Kiyoshi's hands slid up and down his hips, fingers now straightened firly. "Yeah... I will. I appreciate you being concerned enough to come out here and check on me, Kuroko. I promise I'll be alright in just a couple days, so I'll see you back at school then, okay?"  
Kuroko gave a short nod. "Alright, I'll see you then."  
Kiyoshi led the other to the door in a rather awkward fashion, finding the tension clouding the room heavying his breaths. An awkward wave was exchanged between the two after the door was opened, and the Kuroko was gone.  
The kitchen cabinets received more than a few new scratches shortly afterwards.


	4. Fold

Kiyoshi's phone buzzed not five minutes after Kuroko's departure, and it was likely his saving grace from losing control right there in the middle of his apartment. He didn't bother to contemplate who it could have been on his way over; his energy was focused on calming himself as best he could and questioning how soon he could get the damn preparation food to keep from blowing his lid... his frustration didn't seem to be fading from event to event, which was making things harder. The loss to Touou, the fights with Hyuuga, the berating text Riko had sent him in response to his text with Riko, it had all piled on top of the stress of Kuroko's visit. He felt more like a soda bottle being constantly shaken than he did a timer being reset each month.  
All that evaporated into nonsense and drivel upon sight of the text message.  
A picture of the back of Kuroko's head from a number he didn't recognize; unnerving enough, but the text just made it that much worse.  
'Does the puppy want to come out and play? ;)'  
Kiyoshi's blood, hot as lit coals only moments ago, now felt more like liquid nitrogen solidifying his veins.  
The phone went off once more in Kiyoshi's palm, and he scrambled to open the next message.  
'We'll be hanging out together in the East Imperial Garden, if you'd care to join. I'd appreciate it if you didn't try to get in touch with him beforehand either... I don't like gossip.'  
Like a bat out of Hell wasn't nearly enough to explain the speed Kiyoshi left his apartment with; he didn't even bother trying to neaten himself, and honesly even considered skipping his shoes before he made his way through the door. He nearly stepped right into a few people as he raced down the stairs of his apartment complex and onto the street, eyes focused on his phone instead of where he was going. No matter how many times he read the number, he didn't recognize it; that didn't stop him from reciting it to himself over and over again though, as if attempting to force out a memory he didn't have. It was hard for him to even close the text long enough to figure out where the damn location of the park he was headed to.  
Kiyoshi knew hunters existed, of course; that was the whole reason he'd moved out of his home in the first place. He'd run into one, and suffice to say it wasn't a pleasant experience. The single other werewolf he knew had told him stories about their own encounters- if people thought werewolves were bloodthirsty, Kiyoshi wasn't even sure a word existed to explain what hunters were. They were slimy and disgusting, and they lacked any sense of moral integrity. They killed werewolves to get rid of werewolves, not to protect others. It wasn't any sort of sense of duty to humanity that drove them. From Kiyoshi's experience, hunters were just would-be murderers who either needed more of a challenge than humans could provide or who wanted to delude themselves into thinking they weren't really murderers. Sometimes it was both.  
It was that reason exactly that his heart pounded and he was struggling to find breath. He didn't even stop to think about how a hunter could have found out about him, that wasn't the issue at hand right now. The issue was that Kuroko was in an apparent close radius with somebody that A. seemed to know Kiyoshi's secret about being a werewolf and B. had the remote, possible, potential for being a hunter. At that point, the brunette was worried much more for his friend's safety than he was his own. Kuroko had come down to see him out of outright concern, and Kiyoshi wasn't willing to let him be taken into harm's way for that.  
Kiyoshi's frenzy was momentarily calmed by the sight of Kuroko alone in the park- he saw Kuroko long before he was able to be seen himself, and was able to calm his pace ever so slightly. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, maybe a gun to the Kuroko's head or seeing him covered in bruises and surrounded by a gang of ne'er-do-wells, but just the sight of him being visibly unharmed helped steady Kiyoshi's composure. He was no less on edge though, his eyes still flitting around for signs of other life.  
Hunters tended to blend in well, but Kiyoshi honestly didn't really figure that any of the people in his sight, mostly twenty-somethings with their toddlers in the park, were there to mess with a werewolf and his friend.  
Kiyoshi took a seat a a bench on the opposite end of the park and retrieved his phone from his pocket, sending out a couple of messages, one of which went to the foreign number.  
'who is this?'  
He sent another message off to a different recipient, then focused his attention back on Kuroko.  
'Don't be so shy. Go talk to your friend, he won't bite... I'm not so sure the same could be said for you, but we'll see.'  
Kiyoshi's stomach seized up.  
'Please don't get him involved. He doesn't know, and he doesn't need to be part of this... tell me where you are and I can talk to you there.'  
The pleading look the phone received didn't have any effect judging from the response he received.  
'I'm not interested in being cornered by a rabid dog. Would you like to go talk to him, or should I catch up with him later? Maybe on his way home tonight, or after he leaves Seirin to go home tomorrow... You were a little harder to find, but Kuroko was easy! I wonder if he really deserves that phantom nickname of his.'  
Whoever this person was knew him, and they knew Kuroko. They knew their school, and they were either able to find or already knew Kuroko's reputation in basketball. Kiyoshi wasn't about to doubt that they were able to find Kuroko's home on top of that.  
'Please don't hurt him.'  
Kiyoshi's fingers trembled as he pushed his phone back into his pocket and stood, composing himself as best he could given the current circumstances (which, understandably, wasn't much.)  
"Kuroko!"  
The calling of his name confused Kuroko at first. He looked up and glanced around, locating the source only to find himself even further confused.  
"...Kiyoshi? Hi," he responded, glancing up from the bird he'd been watching stroll at his feet. It was too bad he'd just seen Kiyoshi in an anxious state; now, the panic that had Kiyoshi's breath hastened and his words forced was much harder to differentiate, and Kuroko didn't take any notice of it.  
"Uh... what are you doing?" Kuroko blinked at Kiyoshi.  
Kiyoshi took a seat at the opposite side of the bench, as far from the other as he could manage.  
Kuroko took note of the distance Kiyoshi kept, but kept quiet about it.  
"I just- I wanted to say sorry again! I know I've been acting strange, but I wanted to make sure you knew you didn't need to worry." Every word that left him was doubly hard to come up with. Not only did he have to come up with a convincing lie, he had to constantly remind himself telling Kuroko to go home could do more harm than good and bite back the urge.  
Another hesitant nod came from the blue haired boy, complete with an odd stare. "It's alright, I understand. I know I came here without warning, and it's something you obviously meant to keep private. I'm still worried, but I know it's none of my business. If you need time alone, there's no need for you to force yourself to be around me."  
Kiyoshi's denial of that idea was given with haste.  
"No! No, it's alright... I guess some time with you might be good for me. You're a lot more calming than Hyuuga is, I've gotta admit."  
"Well," Kuroko murmured, looking the other up and down. He watched Kiyoshi's hands run up and down his thighs for what must have been the third time, wiping the sweat from his palms and raking his fingers over the fabric of his pants. "It doesn't seem to be helping much." The outward calm Kuroko normally held was just as present, but he was off-kilter internally, much as he had been for the past few days, and Kiyoshi wasn't doing anything to help that.  
Kiyoshi's phone went off again.  
'You look so tense! Loosen up, I wouldn't hurt a normal guy like him.'  
Another text followed.  
'...well, I wouldn't kill him, anyway.'  
Somehow, Kiyoshi didn't find comfort in that. There were still more than enough risks to the situation outside of Kuroko's death; Kuroko finding out about his being less than fully human, Kuroko getting hurt as a result of his being less than fully human, and Kuroko trying to defend him in the event of this hunter deciding to show themselves, just to name a few. Kiyoshi tried to come up with solutions to each possible outcome, ways that he could get his friend (and hopefully himself) out of harms way. Whether the hunter would harm Kuroko or not, Kiyoshi didn't know for sure, but if he got provoked into transforming or this hunter kept them both out until nightfall, the possibility of Kuroko sustaining an injury went up tenfold.  
It was a shitty situation, to say the least.  
"Kiyoshi."  
The call of his name began to draw the brunette from his thoughts, his eyes having been directed down at his phone but his vision having blurred in the time since he'd received the texts, worries swarming his mind.  
"Huh? Oh... crap, I'm sorry!" Kiyoshi forced a humorless laugh out and rubbed his eyes. "I just-"  
"Stop. You don't need to keep apologizing to me."  
When Kiyoshi looked over, he was surprised to see the other standing. Even more than that, his expression took the elder male aback. His brows were raised and his lips were pulled into a thin frown, even his ears were pulled back from his scalp having tense. Kuroko had said he was worried, but now he looked it, and it was hard for Kiyoshi to meet his eyes.  
"Kiyoshi, I want you to tell me what's wrong. You've been lying and avoiding my questions, and I still think you were the one that gave Hyuuga that black eye. I saw the marks all over your kitchen cabinets too. I'm okay if you want to be alone, but if you want to sit here with me and continue to apologize without explaining why you have to do so... I'd rather not hear it, because it's just making me worry more and it's not helping you at all. I'll stay if you can start giving me answers, but I've got to get home if you can't tell me anything more. I'm your friend, and I'd like you to remember that I'm here to help if you need it. What you're doing right now is worse than whatever you're trying to keep from me, I promise."  
Kuroko ended his speech with a deep breath and cheeks that looked a touch more cherry than they had before.  
Well, that was unexpected. Kiyoshi wasn't sure what to reply to that with. He wanted to tell Kuroko that what he was hiding was worse, that it really was better he didn't know, but somehow, he didn't think his words would have much merit at that point.  
A growl surfaced in the air. Kiyoshi caught fists full of his own hair, squeezing it as he bowed his head over his knees. The sound was feral and similar to that of the one he'd given back in the locker room, but Kuroko didn't falter.  
A ding went off from Kiyoshi's phone, but he ignored it for the time being.  
"...Kuroko, this isn't something casual. This is a situation I really don't want you to be a part of. I don't care about me right now, it doesn't have anything to do with what you'd think of me, so I really don't want you to think that I'm just saying that for self-preservation. You could get hurt!"  
Another stare that lasted a few moments passed between the two.  
"I'll go home, then."  
"No, Kuroko," Kiyoshi started, pausing the backstep his friend had started to take. "You can't go home either.  
"Why?"  
Another text came through, and Kiyoshi decided to use that as a distraction.  
There was the first one that had gone ignored that was just a taunt, a text telling Kiyoshi what he already knew; 'I think the kid wants to know what's wrong!' The next was a suggestion that the three went back to Kiyoshi's house to spill the information.  
Every time Kiyoshi thought the situation couldn't get worse, the ground beneath him opened up and he sunk further.  
He started to text back, but was interrupted further by a third.  
'Remember your position here too, man-hands. You're not in any position to protest... if you were, you wouldn't be in this pickle in the first place.'  
It took all Kiyosi had to tame a roar that nearly escaped, releasin it instead as a rumbling breath. His chest jumped and fell more than well enough for Kuroko to notice, and even enough for a hand of his to make it onto the brunette's shoulder.  
"Whatever it is, please calm down." Kuroko's words had a sense of urgency to them, but he tried to speak as softly as he could to calm Kiyoshi. "You're going to be fine, you don't have to tell me right this second."  
He glanced down at the phone to try to read the message that had caused Kiyoshi to seize, but by the time his vision had dropped, the phone was closed. The grip on the basketball team's center tightened, and Kuroko drew a little closer. Kiyoshi tried to keep a distance, but Kuroko wouldn't allow it.  
"I'm not worried about me, Kuroko," Kiyoshi finally managed.  
Kuroko didn't miss a beat. "I'll be fine too, you don't need to worry about me either. Something wrong's happening with you right now, so worry about you. Let's go back to your apartment and talk there, you can start telling me what's going on."  
"Kuroko, my apartment's not-"  
"Kiyoshi, let's go back to your apartment."  
The tugs and tears that wore on Kiyoshi's heart were nearly audible as he struggled a yes back to Kuroko.


	5. All In

Everything was loud. The way the door thudded behind Kuroko was thunderous, and their footsteps became earthquakes against Kiyoshi's eardrums. Even the lack of shoes didn't help much, the socks did little to muffle either of their shuffling. Maybe it was the weight they moved with, maybe that was the reason for the sound? Kuroko's unknowing confusion had pressed down on his shoulders more and more along the walk back, and the lump that had previously been in Kiyoshi's throat had dropped to become a boulder in his stomach. The house was devoid of conversation, even with the addition of two bodies. Kiyoshi gestured for his friend to sit, but Kuroko denied the offer and chose to stand. He tried not to focus his gaze too sternly on Kiyoshi, but it was hard. He knew nothing about what was going on; he had little clue why he was back at the apartment, and he didn't know what had changed with Kiyoshi. Something had changed, that was sure, but what it was... well, Kuroko didn't understand the situation to begin with, so it was another layer of mystery. This was all getting very frustrating for him, so it came as little surprise that Kuroko was the first one to break the thickening film of awkwardness that had festered. "Would you mind explaining what's going on now, Kiyoshi?" A wrinkle or two showed up between his brows with the question. "I guess I can't really avoid it at this point anymore, can I?" It seemed like an appropriate time to give a dry, humorless laugh, but he couldn't muster one. He rubbed a hand over his face and massaged his wrinkled brows apart, then returned his vision to Kuroko. "I wish you hadn't gotten caught up in all this... not that it's really your fault at this point. I would've gotten involved too if I saw what you saw." Kuroko was silent as the other talked; Kiyoshi still sounded like he was trying to put off getting to the point, but they were starting to get somewhere. The brunette cleared his throat and broke away from Kuroko's stare just long enough to glance at the door and at the blinds of his window. Nothing yet, so he continued. "Well, everything that's going on, it started... I dunno, about a year ago? Sometime after I first started at Seirin, maybe a little before. It's all a little bit of a blur, honestly. I was still living back at home at this point, and, uh- well, before I tell you, I need you to let me know you'll believe me, no matter how it sounds." Kuroko gave a simple nod in response. "I promise." Hearing the word werewolf come out of Kiyoshi's mouth... Kuroko wasn't sure whether it was anticlimactic in the sense that it felt like a joke or not. Hearing Kiyoshi tell him he'd been bitten by a werewolf, he almost wished he hadn't made the promise to believe whatever he was told. How did the brunette expect him to just take that as it was? Kiyoshi knew that, of course. Telling Kuroko that he'd been bitten by a werewolf, he felt like a middle school student trying to convince their peers that they had superpowers. He tried to make it sound the least like that as he could, but there was only so much he could do beyond just keeping a straight face and a serious tone. There was silence again afterwards, and then a small shrug on Kiyoshi's part. Kuroko hadn't reacted yet, mostly because he didn't know how to react. For what Kiyoshi was saying, he said it quite plainly. "A werewolf?" "Yeah." Another shrug, and then Kiyoshi grit his teeth. "I know it sounds stupid, trust me, I do! But right now, I don't really have the time to try to make it sound any better" Not that he'd really have known how. "I just need you to believe me and I can explain everything for you later, and then you can decide whether you believe me or not. If I can avoid it, I don't want to prove it to you, and you can go on thinking I'm crazy, but I need you to just go with it for a little while." Kiyoshi swallowed hard and pulled his lips tight, and his eyes, usually wrinkled at the corners by an unabashed smile, were now wrinkled around the edges of his lower lashline with stress and tension. It didn't seem to be a joke. Kuroko shifted were he stood, then moved to sit down on the couch; he'd refused the seat earlier, but now seemed like a good time to take it. Kiyoshi watched him all the way down. "I can- uh, I can do that." The basketball center didn't remember the last time he'd heard Kuroko stutter. He couldn't help but give a nervous laugh at the reaction either way. Well, that had been fairly painless. Kiyoshi raised the arm of his shirt to wipe the sweat from his brow. "And that's kinda the root of my problems right now." Kiyoshi's arms folded tight, but quickly unfolded at the sound of his phone going off. His heartbeat sped up before he even read the text, and even moreso afterwards. 'You two about ready for me? Or are you still bleeding your heart out for him?' While Kiyoshi was tapping away an answer, telling the person texting him that he needed a few more minutes to explain, Kuroko was giving Kiyoshi a strange look. He'd just told him he was a werewolf, and now he was taking a texting break? What could've been important enough to trump their conversation at the moment, Kuroko couldn't think of anything. Kiyoshi began to answer the unspoken question as soon as he'd shoved his phone back in his pocket. "Sorry- I wish I had more time to explain all this, but I don't.. After I got bit, I found out how to keep the symptoms in check! You can't cure it, but you can treat it. Without anything to help it, it's... actually a lot like PMS on steroids for about a week before the full moon, and it gets worse until that month's cycle is finished." Kiyoshi couldn't quite read the expression on Kuroko's face, which made sense when the boy didn't know what he was feeling himself. He wasn't sure if he was being lied to pranked, or if this was all really happening, or if maybe Kiyoshi just thought this was all happening. The other boy had always seemed pretty reasonable though... for him to suddenly go crazy like this with no explanation, there was no reason for it. But werewolves? Before Kiyoshi could continue, Kuroko took a turn. "Kiyoshi, I'm sorry, but it's a little hard for me to just go with this." Even if it added up to a degree, the claw marks in Kiyoshi's cabinet, the feral growl he'd let loose in the locker room, it was still hard to jump to such an assumption. "I don't really know what to think." Kiyoshi had hoped for a little bit more of a trusting attitutde, but he supposed his shady behavior as of the last few days in conjunction with the ludicrous nature of what he was telling Kuroko, the disbelief was perfectly reasonable. "But, if something's really this wrong, I'll trust you for now. I don't know if you've gone crazy or not right now, but I'll believe you." Kiyoshi sighed about all of the air in his lungs out; he only wished he could afford the luxury of staying so relieved. "Thank you, Kuroko! There's, uh, there's more though," he admitted, rubbing one of his forearms and feeling the hair bristled on his skin. "Like I said, I'd been taking some stuff to keep all of the hormonal fluctuations and all the craziness at bay until this month, which is why I've been fine. But this month, everyone in the area is out of the ingredients I need- not that there are that many in the first place, some of the stuff's kinda obsure, but for them all to run out's really weird." Kuroko ran through a few options that seemed obvious to him. Other's could have just bought out the stock, couldn't they? Even if everything Kiyoshi needed, or thought he needed, wasn't exactly commonplace, it's not as if their only uses could be werewolf medication. Maybe they'd been bought out for something else, or, running with the werewolf theory, maybe others had been stocking up? Both theories were denied. Kiyoshi explained, with increasingly quickened words, that it was too much of a coincidence for the first to happen, and the second was too dangerous, that hunters kept too close a tab on the necessary supplies. Buying in bulk would have been too shady. Kiyoshi settled on giving his theory; that somebody had bought everything out to draw werewolves into the public. After all, it was easier to hunt when what you were looking for was right out in the open! A werewolf conspiracy story. Good, just the answer Kuroko was hoping for when he'd come with questions about Kiyoshi's behavior. Either way, he'd at least accept the explanation for the moment. He nodded and leaned forward on the couch, arching his otherwise strict posture. Shortly thereafter, Kiyoshi moved onto the final and most pressing issue. "And up 'til today, that's been the only problem. I was gonna go out and spend tonight by myself, then I'd be back at school probably tomorrow or the next day! But, uh, I don't know how they found out, but somebody's been texting me since after you left for the park. I'm almost positive they're a hunter- they know about me, and I guess now they know where I live." Kiyoshi figured it would be best to skim over the fact that Kuroko had likely been the one to lead said hunter to him. The brunette went on to explain the situation. More about the texts he'd been receiving and the orders he'd been given from someone he didn't know. He explained to Kuroko what the other knew about; their schools, their homes, everything down to their basketball team and reputations within it. He gave what he could, but he had no further explanation as to how or why any of it had happened. Kiyoshi had been as careful as he could, so how anybody had even begun to get an inkling of an idea to look into him... he had no idea. The apologies came copiously after that. He was sorry for getting Kuroko involved, he was sorry he'd let this person find anything out about them, and most of all he was sorry for putting Kuroko in a situation where he might be in danger. His voice picked up in pace the longer he spoke, but eventually Kuroko interrupted. "What?" The word was quiet, but still enough to cut the other's speech where it stood. "You've been listening to somebody you think wants to hurt you? Kiyoshi-" "I don't have any other choice right now!" Kiyoshi barked back, feeling his blood pressure spike as he did. He took a deep breath and opened his mouth, but the next voice to meet the air was neither his nor Kuroko's. "So tense! Getting so excited isn't good for your heart, Kiyoshi." Yelling may not have been good for his heart, but hearing that particular voice was far, far worse. 


	6. Tell

When the door opened, it was the two boys in front that walked in first. It would have almost looked comical had the situation not been what it was, the way they strolled in like they were in some sort of mob movie. One of them, a taller boy with a mole smack-dab in the middle of his forehead, flopped on the couch, while the other smacked bubblegum all the way over to the counter near Kuroko's hiding spot. Both boys made themselves comfortable in their own choice landing spots, but the third remained in the doorway for just a moment longer. "That look on your face is so scary- it's not appropriate for guests, is it?" Hanamiya's words were followed by a laugh. Kiyoshi didn't really know how to react, and he spent the time the third of the trio used walking in contemplating it. Hanamiya, although it made sense, hadn't exactly been at the forefront of Kiyoshi's mind for who could have been at the other end of the phone. Hanamiya was a rival basketball player, and sure, probably the closest thing to a mortal enemy any sane person could have, but that was it. For Hanamiya to be a hunter on top of that... well, himself, it was too coincidental. All Kiyoshi could do in the midst of processing it was force a swallow past his adam's apple. Hanamiya, on the other hand, was draped over the couch, muscles relaxed and his arms slack. "Don't just stand there- come sit with your guests!" Kiyoshi didn't move, prompting a sigh from Hanamiya. "I wasn't asking you- come sit down." After the door had been closed, Kiyoshi stumbled his way towards Hanamiya. His legs could barely hold his weight, and his stomach was upset by the movement. When he was still and seated between Seto and Hanamiya, both parts of his body thanked him; his racing heart, not so much. Still, Hanamiya didn't have anything particularly noticeable on him. Three teenage boys with above-average physiques may have been able to overpower him on a normal day, but on the day of a full moon, particularly when he was agitated and on edge? He could've barreled through the three of them. If Hanamiya had any experience or prior knowledge of werewolves, he knew that too. Hell, even if he didn't, wasn't that something a normal person could assume? Seeing Hanamiya sitting so comfortably made his teeth grit. A lanky arm found home around Kiyoshi's shoulder, as did Hanamiya's face within inches of the brunette's face. "So, first things first, Kuroko- where is he?" "He's gone home. I thought it made more sense not to get him involved," Kiyoshi replied flatly. He wasn't even making an attempt to keep his friendly facade with Hanamiya, not this time. The Kirisaki Dai Ichi student clicked his tongue. "Don't lie to me, I'll know! You wouldn't do that." "Putting my friend in danger wouldn't do anything but cause more trouble, it makes sense. Why wouldn't I do that? I don't want him involved." The arm over his shoulder undraped and disappeared into the bag Hanamiya had dropped onto the floor before taking his seat- a pair of binoculars made a loud smacking noise as they were dropped at Kiyoshi's feet. "It's not like I haven't been watching. I know he didn't leave, Kiyoshi... it'll be easier to just tell me where he is." A sigh came from the other end of the couch, and before he could even look over, the middle boy had Seto's heel buried deep in his side. A hiss a scrunched up expression was all it took to get Kuroko on his feet. They knew he was here, and lying wasn't going to do anything to appease them. "I'm right here." His voice was sudden and panicked as he stepped into view. Hara, the first boy to enter, raised a brow (not that it could be seen beneath his hair.) After circling around the counter, he took hold of Kuroko's shoulder and began to guide him into the living room. It was too coincidental. An opposing basketball team, and easily the nastiest team Seirin had played against? Kuroko's mind was in a flurry, as were his eyes as the center of his vision flit from Hanamiya, to Seto, to Hara, and back to Hanamiya. Even so, he had neither the knowledge nor the time to make any assumptions as to what the hell was going on around him. Kuroko shouldered Hara's assisting hand away and made his way to the living room on his own. He took a formal stance in plain view of the couch, wrapped his hand together, and let his lips part. "I'm right here, so please stop." Much like Kiyoshi, the boy was concealing an upset stomach and a racing heart with a stony visage. The brunette's expression faltered, his brow furrowing momentarily. He let out a heavy breath, then gave Kuroko the best grin he could muster. "You'll be alright, mmkay Kuroko?" "We'll be alright," the younger replied. Hanamiya raised a brow at the both of them. "...I don't remember you two being in charge of that right now," he reminded, pairing the words with a small laugh. He gave a tug onto a lock of Kiyoshi's hair to reinforce that, but by the time Kiyoshi's hand was clamped around Hanamiya's wrist and near ready to snap it, a wincing cry from Kuroko had him distracted. "Strong grip you've got there!" Hanamiya noted, "What's that dumb nickname- vice claw? It makes even more sense now." It wasn't anything particularly nefarious, all Hara had done was match the tug Kiyoshi's hair had received, albeit tugging quite a bit harder than Hanamiya on a larger chunk of hair. Kuroko rubbed the back of his head, swallowed, and tried to keep calm. Each pop of the other boy's gum though, the sudden bursts only inches away from his ears, were hard not to flinch at. "Don't hurt him- you said you wouldn't," Kiyoshi reminded, struggling to keep his voice from faltering. "Don't put words in my mouth, I said I wouldn't kill him," Hanamiya corrected, "But I won't hurt him too much, either. Actually, I don't have to hurt him at all. I want to, but whether I will or not isn't up to me." Kiyoshi's lips twisted into a snarl before he could rub the expression away. Calm. He needed to keep calm. Getting worked up would make things that much worse, especially in a contained area as small as the apartment. "I don't want to play games, Hanamiya," Kiyoshi said, his voice throaty. "Who is it up to, if it's not you?" "It's up to you," Hanamiya replied, "We'll only hurt him if you try and hurt us. You don't worry a whole lot about yourself... I learned that last time we played together. And what use is putting a knife to your neck? You'd break my ribs before I could tighten my grip. So it didn't make sense at all to try to keep you calm by threatening your well-being, but-" "Hold on, let me see your hands." "Why?" Kuroko's knees collapsed from beneath him and had him kneeling in front of Hara, drawing Kiyoshi to stand and let out a growl in reflex, yelling for the other to quit hurting Kuroko. "That's why. You'd sacrifice yourself for your friends, which is what I need to keep the skin on my own ass if I wanna order you around. Hands." "Kiyoshi, don't let them-" The rest of Kuroko's words were dampened by a wad of fabric shoved past his lips and fingered so far back into his mouth he nearly gagged. It was secured by another strip of the same fabric, tied tight and knotted quickly. For a moment, the boy thought he was being forced into unconsciousness through means of choloroform or something of the sort… wishful thinking. Kiyoshi's hands rose easily at the sight of that, as did the volume of his voice. "Alright! Alright, here, leave him alone," the male barked, only to receive a flick on the back of his ear. "You don't need to yell, I'm right here." Hanamiya clicked his tongue as he pulled Kiyoshi's hands behind his back, then laced rope up and down Kiyoshi's wrists and forearm with uncomfortable skill. He gave the binding a testing pull afterwards, and when the brunette winced, he was satisfied with the job. "At least explain what's going on! How did you know about all this?" Kiyoshi said, glancing back over his shoulder and finding himself uncomfortably close to a oily grin. Hanamiya gave a laugh as he neared Kuroko to make sure his gag was secure, then proceeded to tie a length of rope from the youngest boy's wrist to Hara's. "You're slippery to keep track of," the male cooed as he worked, ignoring the brunette's question for the time being. "We'll keep a good eye on you today though, don't worry." Kuroko's eyes shut tight as the rope burned his wrist, the sharp tug Hanamiya gave on it tightening it further before he could rise to his feet. The two Seirin students were moved apart once again. Little gentility was shown for Kuroko was yanked to the kitchen area, and Kiyoshi was told to take a seat back with Seto. The way everything was now… it seemed so casual. Hara was poking around in hopes of finding something to eat, Hanamiya was slouched against a wall texting god-knew-what, and Seto was nearly asleep. In his house. He was bound, and Kuroko was leashed and gagged. Vomit was threatening to burn at the back of Kiyoshi's throat, as were hot, angry tears at his eyes. Looking at Kuroko- the poor boy seemed like he was in too much shock to actually process what was happening. His eyes looked blank and his expression was hollow; he felt the way he looked. It was nearly sickening to Kiyoshi that he couldn't offer anything. No protection, nor safety. He could give the other a pleadingly apologetic stare and furrow his eyebrows up into a sad shape, and nothing more. "Ha-!" The first attempt at speaking was loud and unwieldly. The room went still before Kiyoshi attempted to speak again. "Hanamiya, please." The words came through clenched teeth and were accompanied by a stare that Kiyoshi had struggled to remove from Kuroko. "Just explain what you're doing, at the very least. It's not like I can stop you right now anyway, so… please." Only dregs of the earlier fight were left in the brunette's voice. Mostly, it was just ragged desperation. The situation had certainly moved like lightning for Kuroko, but it had progressed quickly for Kiyoshi too. He didn't have as much information to attempt to process as his friend, but it wasn't as if he had caught up with what was going on either. "Please." "Quit it with the formalities, we all know you'd wring my neck right now if you had the chance. All those niceties, even when you're like this… it's gross." Hanamiya stuck his tongue out and wrinkled his nose. "Anyway, it wasn't that hard to figure out. I know how bad I hurt your knee back then, you should've been off it for months!" Kiyoshi's heart pounded. He hadn't played a single game until halfway through his second year of high school, and he'd used crutches for for nearly half a year. "I was," Kiyoshi protested. And he had been! As far as memory served, it wasn't a lie. "Not in the hospital, you didn't." The lightbulb took a few moments to illuminate. No way. "It was dumb luck, honestly. I wasn't even sure why you were there, I figured it was a checkup. I was there to see family, and what do I see? One Kiyoshi Teppei, without a crutch in sight. It was only a few weeks after our game, and you didn't have anything more than a brace on. I bet they told you it was some kind miracle, huh?" Kiyoshi hadn't been able to use his crutches in the hospital, that much was true. His doctors knew his knee had healed up, and he'd been more worried about being questioned on why he was still using crutches than Hanamiya seeing him walking on an injury-free leg. What had been the chances, after all? Apparently, Kiyoshi wasn't terribly lucky. That game of chance had been one that was sorely lost. Still, the logical leap from a quickly healed leg to a werewolf was something of a tricycle trying to jump the Grand Canyon. Hanamiya escorted himself over to where Kiyoshi sat and kneeled in front of him, watching him more closely as the story continued to drip from his lips. "You shouldn't 've been able to get on that leg without crying like a baby, so I got curious. I did a little digging, set up a few proxies, and guess what? That Kiyoshi Teppei hadn't been to school on the same day for three months straight." The Kirisaki Dai Ichi student was smart, Kiyoshi had known that much. For him to be at the level he was though, the brunette was slowly becoming less and less confident in his ability to wiggle out of the current situation. "Took a while to figure out that it was all on the night of the full moon. I mean, who looks at the goddamn lunar cycle, right? But I only had three generic doctor's notes to go off of, and, far as I could tell, not a single prescription for anything. I was flipping back and forth through a calendar when I noticed, I was going insane trying to figure out how you were walking, y'know! So when I noticed all three days you missed were full moon's… I gotta tell you, I felt stupid looking into it, but man, did it pay off." A laugh interrupted the story, and a pat on the shoulder had Kiyoshi's heart tickling his tonsils. "I looked at credit purchases, what you bought, who you called, I went through a lot for you! Things got pretty weird, and when you were going an hour out to some eccentric plant store that sold astrology books and ouija boards, I didn't know what to think." "Five thirty." Hanamiya looked over at the third boy on the couch, who was already working on stuffing his phone back away. The interruption brought about a frown, but it was necessary. "Oi," Hanamiya mumbled, standing and pulling his jacket off. He signalled for Kiyoshi to stand, who only hesitated long enough to remember the pained look on Kuroko's face from earlier. He was quick to his feet, and Seto eventually followed. "Got caught up in it, almost lost track of time. We've only got about an hour 'til you start getting out of hand, so we better get going." The jacket Hanamiya had disrobed from himself went over the binding holding the werewolf's wrists together, hiding them from sight. Hara took Kuroko's hand and stuffed most of the binding up his long sleeve, hiding it from plain view. "I'm gonna go 'head and take this off." The fabric dampening Kuroko's words was removed and and dropped to the floor, hitting down with a damp squelch. "Even though I think you look better with it on… There's no real way to hide it in public, y'know?" Saliva trailed down Kuroko's chin, but was wiped away quickly by his shaking free hand. "I know it's impolite to rush things along, but it can't be helped too much right now," Hanamiya explained, "You'll have to accept my apologies later! I'll continue story-time once we get where we need to be." Wherever that place was, neither Kiyoshi nor Kuroko were particularly excited to find out. 


End file.
